Scottish Executive

Building Control

Ian Jenkins (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when it intends to announce the outcome of the initial consultation exercise, held last year, which asked for ideas on how the building control system in Scotland could be improved.

Lewis Macdonald: The working party set up to consider the responses to the initial consultation and to prepare proposals for a reformed system reported to me at the beginning of April this year. I have approved the issue of a detailed consultation document, based on that report, and this will be issued today.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether liver function tests are available to patients of GPs in the Fife Health Board area.

Susan Deacon: I can confirm that Fife GPs do have access to liver function tests in cases where they judge these to be necessary.

Social Justice

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the budget statement by the Minister for Finance on 28 June 2001, whether details of the Level II revised social justice budget can be made available to the Social Justice Committee and, if so, when.

Jackie Baillie: The table details what we expect to spend on Social Justice commitments over the coming three years. The figures have yet to be finalised and take account of amounts carried forward from last year to 2001-02 and in future years. They are dependent on final decision on end year flexibility and are therefore subject to further change. The Executive budget proposals for 2002-03 and 2003-04 will be published formally for consultation in September, and revisions to this year’s budget will also be put to the Parliament in the autumn.

  


 


Cash Terms
  

Real Terms2




 


2001-02
  

2002-03
  

2003-04
  

2001-02
  

2002-03
  

2003-04
  



 


£ million
  



Housing Support Grant 
  

10.0
  

10.0
  

10.0
  

9.8
  

9.5
  

9.3
  



Housing Revenue Account 
  

180.0
  

180.0
  

180.0
  

175.6
  

171.3
  

167.1
  



Community Ownership1 


150.0
  

140.0
  

129.0
  

146.3
  

133.3
  

119.8
  



Scottish Homes & Housing Other
  

294.6
  

300.5
  

333.9
  

287.4
  

286.0
  

310.1
  



Fuel Poverty 
  

33.5
  

37.5
  

47.5
  

32.7
  

35.7
  

44.1
  



Homelessness 
  

6.5
  

26.0
  

32.0
  

6.3
  

24.7
  

29.7
  



Social Inclusion
  

91.7
  

94.3
  

108.6
  

89.5
  

89.8
  

100.8
  



Vol. Sector & Equalities
  

10.0
  

10.7
  

11.3
  

9.8
  

10.2
  

10.5
  



Total
  

776.3
  

799.0
  

852.3
  

757.4
  

760.5
  

791.4
  



  Notes:

  1. The Community Ownership line includes £11 million in 2001-02 and £33 million 2002-03 of NHS Cash Balances to be used for the repayment of debt principal.

  2. Real terms figures based on 2000-01 prices.

  The key changes relate to the housing programmes. These have been revised in light of better information on the timing of spend and the amount required to meet our targets and in considering how best to use resources from slippage from last year. In doing so we have identified savings of £35 million from the overall housing budget, which we have redirected at other Executive priorities. These changes will still allow us to meet all our existing commitments and targets and address additional housing budget pressures.

Water Authorities

George Lyon (Argyll and Bute) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how much West of Scotland Water Authority has spent to date in developing proposals for sewage treatment facilities at High Bogany, Rothesay, on the Isle of Bute.

Ross Finnie: West of Scotland Water has to date invested a total of £6.082 million in the provision of wastewater treatment facilities at High Bogany, Rothesay, to meet the standards required by Urban Waste Water Treatment Regulations.

  Of this total, £1.510 million has been invested in the preliminary stages of the scheme, which involved comprehensive marine studies, environmental impact assessment, site investigation, land acquisition, consultants fees, planning procedures and staff costs. It also includes the costs incurred by the contractor in developing the design of the works.

  The remaining sum of £4.572 million is the cost of construction to date. The project commenced on site in October 1999 and is due for completion in December 2001 at a total estimated cost of £7.964 million.

Water Authorities

George Lyon (Argyll and Bute) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether West of Scotland Water Authority (WoSWA) has provided it with an account of (a) why it changed evidence brought before the public local authority into land south of High Bogany, Rothesay, on the Isle of Bute and (b) the reasons for any delay in it submitting such evidence to the inquiry.

Ross Finnie: A reporter has been appointed to the inquiry into West of Scotland Water’s appeal against the planning condition to cover the tanks at the Rothesay Waste Water Treatment Works at High Bogany.

  West of Scotland Water is providing information to the Reporter as part of that inquiry. As the appeal is now before Scottish ministers, it would not be proper for me to comment on any aspect of this case until such time as a decision has been issued.